Sunday, November 15, 2015

That's Entertainment!

A week or two ago, news hit that two of my favorite television IPs are getting new life on the small screen.And I couldn't be more...hmmm.First, there's...

The Greatest American Hero is set to return, thanks to FOX, and the talented team of Phil Lord & Chris Miller, the dynamic duo behind The Lego Movie, and other successful comedic films. It's weird, but I feel like someone mentioned this not that long ago. Getting that deja vu feeling, ya'know? Between then, and now I've been following whatever information I could get on the story. I've actually heard a bit of inside information, and numerous rumors about the new version, and so far I like what I've heard. FOX has confirmed that they are backing development of a TV series pilot, and if they use even a small amount of what I've come across, I think they'll have a real winner on their hands. A key element will of course be its budget. In the era of The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl, the special effects have to be on par with those programs to compete in an increasingly crowded Superhero entertainment market. Perhaps I am being overly optimistic, but I have a really good feeling about this one. I can't wait for this show to start. Believe it or not, I'm walking on air.Second...there's

The possibility of a new Star Trek series fills me with equal parts hope, and dread,. The explosive force of my geek freak-out at the news of this project made the Matter/Anti-Matter reactions within the Enterprise's engines look weak in comparison. I want a new Star Trek series on the air so very badly, but everything I'm hearing about the project is filling me with concerns.To begin with, the television series will not be a television series at all, airing instead of CBS's 'Pay-Us-To-Watch-What-You-Are-Already-Paying-For-Cable-To-Watch streaming service CBS All Access. This means, you need to pay to watch the new Star Trek. Okay...I don't love that idea, but if it's not too expensive, and the show is really good, I probably would. Why? Star Trek is why.But wait..."Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of the films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers." Kurtzman, eh? Well, I despised both Abrams Star Trek films, and Kurtzman's connection to them does nothing to endear him to me, but he's done other stuff that was good, so I'll try to keep an open mind.Except...rumors abound that the new show will be set in the Abrams-verse, and if that's true, I really have not interest in the program whatsoever. Hopefully those rumors are but rumors.What's this?...January 2017? 2017? Really? That's quite a way off. I guess there will be ample time to fret, and postulate about the show before we get any real details. My sincerest hope is that both of these programs will be great. Fingers crossed.

6 comments:

I feel like January 2017 is a very long way off, and that these announcements are ways to testing the waters with the audience, sort of a network TV version of a Kickstarter.

I do feel like the Greatest American Hero relaunch is an attempt to jump on the Flash/Arrow (more Flash) bandwagon. A cute but dorky guy gets superpowers and tries to be a superhero. The real question for me will be how they handle the government interaction. In the 1980's, having an FBI sidekick along to advise you, even the gruff guy from "I Spy," wasn't a bad thing. Nowadays the common trope is that the government is full of shadowy agencies with their own agendae and tend to look a bit like the bad guys. Curious to see how the show will play it.

I'm not sure I understand the question the way it's worded Sean, but if I had to venture a guess, I think you're asking my best guess as to what kind of ship they'll feature.

I figure something new in the vein of the Abramsverse Enterprise (Bleh), although I wouldn't be at all surprised if it looks quite different as well. Something really divergent from what we've seen up to this point.

Will I be disappointed in it's design? Hard to say. I didn't like the Enterprise in the new films, but I liked the Kelvin, and I've seen the redesigned Abramsverse ships being used in the fan film Star Trek: Axanar, and they look awesome.

As alluded to in the post, I have some inside info on the new GAH show, though the information is a little out of date now, and there is no guarantee they haven't changed their minds, and gone down another path.

Having said that, I really liked the ideas I heard for the FBI agent, some of which were familiar (variations on classic TV trope choices), while other elements would create a really interesting dynamic between the agent, the agency, and the presence of an alien technology endowed superhero.

You've seen my take and I think the best we can do for now with all of these new shows is "cautious optimism".

I have high hopes for GAH given the production team and modern special effects. As far as the concern over the FBI role, well, they're doing it on Supergirl so we have a season of that to see how one show handles it.

For Trek I am still hopeful that a reboot after ten years gives us a good show. I expect it to be different - how could it not be? My greatest fear is probably as you say , it ends up being stupid and bad and puts the nail in the TV Trek coffin for another 5-10 years.

I loved the original GAH and I'm actually a little worried that they're bringing it back in this era of genre television. Part of the charm of the show was that it was not strictly a genre show. The comedy came from well-drawn characters in absurd situations. It was a "dramedy." Turning it into a dorky version of The Flash (which I do like) would dilute the concept, IMHO.

Cautiously optimistic on the new Trek. It's a big galaxy and there are lots of ships out there that are and aren't named Enterprise. With classic and reboot Trek out there, it would be a good thing if the new show steered clear of the continuity morass and just put out a good show.

In terms of reboot Trek animosity, I reserve that for Bob Orci. Last I checked, he was writing for Sleepy Hollow, which I stopped watching halfway through the first season because the writing was so shoddy.

About Me

My name is Adam Dickstein and I am a Writer, Artist, General Creative Person, Gamer, Dog Lover, Food Lover, Science Fiction Fan, Trekkie, Comic Book Fan, Muppets Fan and all around nice guy.
I began playing role playing games with D&D in 1977. I have been gaming for over 40 years! I've worked in the comic book and gaming industry in one capacity or another for over 20 years.